Chapter 10
10
I couldn’t get her out of the diner fast enough. Not after that comment. And not after watching her play with her straw. The way her lips wrapped around it and her fingers played. We went back to her house.
No. Not her house. Beau’s house. The house that I’d lived a different life in, one I couldn’t remember but that haunted my dreams.
“Do you want to come inside?” she asked me, that same look in her eyes she’d given me at the diner.
I stood on the porch with the red swing, and I was sweating. I wish I could say it was because of the heat and the look in her eyes, but I knew better. It was being here. This place. If I went inside, it would make it all real. That this had once been my home. That Mom and Grady were real. That I’d lost them, all because of Ronald.
It was getting even hotter. Ants were crawling under every inch of my skin.
Stinging.
Biting.
I jumped.
“God I’m sorry.” Marlowe jerked her hand away from my shoulder. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” I hadn’t even noticed her hand move to touch me.
I planted my boots down, shoulder width apart, and took a deep breath. “It’s not you, sweetheart. It’s this place. I only remember these stairs we just walked up, and that swing. It’s what’s inside that has me tangled up. It’s loss, tragedy and an oppressive feeling of malevolence all hidden behind the face of an evil clown.”
“Clown?”
I shrugged. “I hate clowns.”
“Okay, an evil, malevolent clown. Is the swing a good memory or a bad memory?”
I closed my eyes. I remembered Grady sitting in the swing and smiled. “Good, definitely good.”
Marlowe grabbed my big hand in her dainty one and tugged me toward the swing.
“I’m glad you like the swing, because this is my favorite part of the house. Chaos loves it out here too, especially in the evenings, after it has cooled off.”
She arranged it so that I sat down first, then she sat down almost twelve inches away from me. I wasn’t having any of that. I pulled her closer. As soon as I did, all feeling of ants faded.
“You feeling better?” Marlowe asked.
“How could I not be?” And wasn’t that the truth? Not only were the ants gone, but a feeling of calmness enfolded me. Then she turned. Her breast brushed against my chest. I could see down the front of her dress and got a view of the prettiest breasts I’d ever seen in my whole life. Now I wasn’t calm, now I was aroused. Again.
“One night you should sit here with Chaos and me,” Marlowe said as she smiled up at me.
I hummed in agreement. I looked down the street. This time the dogwood trees weren’t bothering me at all; as a matter of fact, I liked them. Even the one here in Marlowe’s yard.
Marlowe’s yard . That’s how I was going to think of this place from now on.
“Lettie lives right down the street.” Marlowe pointed. “There.”
Did she know that her breast was brushing against me even more? I looked down. Her face was red again as she tried to pull away. Yep, she noticed . I kept her close to my side.
“Sorry,” she mumbled.
“For what? Honey, haven’t you figured out yet that I want to get to know you better? And that includes touching you?”
“But I don’t want you to think I was doing that on purpose.”
“All you have to do is tell me you weren’t, and I’ll believe you. I’ll be sad, but I’ll believe you.”
A little giggle popped out of her mouth. “Sad?”
“Big time sad. I’m hoping one day to have a whole hell of a lot of you pressed up against me.”
Her eyes got wide. “But this is our first date,” she squeaked out.
God, she was adorable.
I gave her a squeeze. “Us guys, we operate this way. We make our decisions pretty quick. A woman who fits in our arms, has a pretty smile, smells good, and is interested in us, will usually do it for us.”
“That’s not true,” she protested.
“Well, okay, it is when you’re seventeen. Now, when you hit twenty, it’s the same criteria, only you want to make sure she puts out.”
Marlowe pushed against my chest so that she could look up at me, eyebrow raised. “Are you saying you weren’t looking for girls to put out when you were seventeen?”
“I was absolutely looking for that when I was seventeen, but there were only so many girls who would put out at that age, and if you weren’t on the varsity squad, you probably weren’t getting yourself some. But by the time you’re twenty, it’s a co-ed free-for-all.”
“And when is the next big milestone?” she asked me.
“Twenty-five. That seems to be when all the guys who came from functional families wanted to get married, and marry a woman like their mom.”
Marlowe winced.
“Yeah, a lot of times it was a problem. The guys never asked their dad what qualities their mom had. Instead they looked at their mom through a child’s lens. Often times they ended up marrying a really good housekeeper, who picked up after them, cooked their meals and didn’t let him step a foot out of line. When in actuality, his dad might have married a lawyer who did nothing but pro bono work, and he loved her gentle soul. I’ve seen marriages like that crash and burn.”
“You’ve really thought this through, haven’t you?” Marlowe snuggled closer to my side.
“Yeah. In my unit, we would be called out of the country at a moment’s notice. Anybody who was married couldn’t tell their wife where they were going, how long they would be gone or when they would be back. Occasionally, we could sneak in a phone call, but that would be it. I’ve watched marriages implode under these circumstances, but I’ve seen some of my friends choose right, and their marriages are rock solid.”
She was quiet for a moment, while I could hear my heart beating. Finally, she asked, “Is that what you want?”
I huffed out a laugh. “Before I was injured the thought of getting married was always something to do in the future. I was having fun on my leaves, doing stuff with my friends. Mountain climbing, base jumping. My team got invited to surf at Cape Solander, so that was fun.”
Marlowe’s eyes grew round. “Was there a possibility of death with all of these things?”
“Not for a person who knew what they were doing.” I grinned.
She giggled. But then, she grew serious. “Are you okay knowing you might not be able to do those things after your injuries?”
Her concern touched me. How many women would ask such a thoughtful question?
“Marlowe, I’ve got to be. I refuse to live my life pissing and moaning about something I can’t change. That’s just plain stupid.”
“Makes sense.” Then that humorous spark returned to her eyes. “So tell me, oh wise one, what does a man look for in his thirties?”
“A man will always look for a woman who fits in his arms and smells good. Those are must-haves. So is a pretty smile that goes all the way to her eyes. In your thirties you should be smart enough to know that if you marry someone who is kind, you’ll have a partner who consistently acts with integrity and compassion. Plus, they’ll be caring and considerate during the good and bad times. And for fuck’s sake, you need to have someone intelligent.”
Marlowe let out a huge laugh. “Are you saying that not everyone you’ve dated has been intelligent?”
I shrugged, considering my next words. “There have been one or two who haven’t been too bright, but they were by no means stupid. But some of the guys in my unit continually date a woman based on their looks and other skills, and I’m pretty sure these women’s IQs are in the double digits. It’s either that, or they have just lost too many brain cells doing shots at the Ramada Inn bars.”
Marlowe shoved her face into my chest to stifle her giggles. God, that felt good. This whole day had felt good.
Damn good .
She pushed back again when she got her laughter under control and looked up at me. God, she was perfect. I curled my fingers and tucked them under her chin to gently lift it.
“Do you know what else a man in his thirties does?” I asked her.
“No, what?”
“He doesn’t miss opportunities when they present themselves.”
“Huh?”
She was genuinely perplexed. So cute .
I lifted her chin even higher with two knuckles, pleased when I saw her lips part.
“I want to kiss you, Marlowe Jones.”
“Oh.” Her brown eyes widened, and she smiled. “Yes, please.”
I had never had a sweeter invitation. I lowered my head and brushed my lips against hers, slowly, softly. She sighed, and I pressed just a little harder, reveling in the soft feel of her plump lips. That electrical spark that I’d felt when we’d first shook hands was back, only stronger.
I cupped the side of her jaw with one hand, and speared my fingers through the thick, silky hair at the nape of her neck. She purred. It was a heady sound that swirled around my entire body, ending in my groin. I licked against the seam of her lips, and she opened for me. I took immediate advantage, plunging my tongue in, basking in her warm heat.
Her tongue shyly played with mine, and I pulled her closer. My hand stroked down her jaw to her neck. Her pulse fluttered like a hummingbird. I wanted to kiss her there, but later. My hand moved down farther, and soon encountered those barely there straps. I so wanted to push them down.
I played with the shoulder straps as I continued to revel in the sweetest kiss of my life. Then I started to push the strap downward, off her shoulder.
Marlowe broke our kiss and pulled away from me. If she hadn’t looked as bereft as I felt I would have been upset. Instead, I was confused.
“What?” I asked.
She nodded behind me.
I looked over my shoulder and damn near swallowed my tongue.
For fuck’s sake.
We were in full view of all her neighbors and any car that happened to be driving down the street. When was the last time I was so unaware of my environment? Had I lost every part of being Delta after that sniper attack?
I pushed back Marlowe’s straps and slowly pulled my fingers out of her hair. It had to be slow, because it felt so good. I was reluctant to look into her eyes, but when I did, all I saw was dazed wonder. Add to that her swollen lips and her flushed cheeks, and I felt like I was ten feet tall.
“I’m sorry,” we both said at the same time.
“Let me go first,” I said when she opened her mouth to continue. She nodded. “I shouldn’t have gotten carried away like that on your front porch. My only excuse is that you’re absolutely gorgeous and I’ve been thinking about kissing you since I saw you outside the Whispering Pines Inn.”
“You were?” She asked, her voice breathy.
“I was. I definitely was.”
“That’s nice.”
I grinned. She made me grin a lot.
“You could come inside, I could get you some lemonade or something,” she offered.
“I get the feeling that’s all that’s on offer. Am I right?”
She nodded.
“Normally, I would say yes, but I’m not ready to face the inside of this house quite yet. Can I get a raincheck?”
She nodded again.
“You’re awfully accommodating.” I noted.
“You just gave me the best kiss of my life, why wouldn’t I be accommodating?”
“Does that mean you’re willing to go out with me again?”
Marlowe gave a slow smile. “We just agreed I was accommodating, didn’t we?”
“Yes. Yes we did. But I get a feeling, you’re only accommodating on the things you want to be accommodating about.”
“That’s true. Now,” she muttered. Suddenly she wasn’t smiling or looking at me.
“Is there a story there?”
She bit her lip. “It’s a tenth date story.” She looked me in the eyes. “Kind of like parts of your childhood are a tenth date story, you know?”
Ouch . “That bad, huh?”
She nodded and pushed up off the swing. I missed the feel of her body immediately.
“Is our date over?” I asked, hoping the answer was no.
“I have to take Chaos for a walk.”
I wondered if it was my reluctance to go inside with her, or if I’d somehow touched a nerve when I asked her about her past. She’d dodged my attempts to ask her about herself at the diner as well.
She headed for her front door, but I caught up to her and touched her hand. No way was I leaving things ambiguous. She turned around.
“Since you promised me a tenth date, how soon can we have a second date?”
Marlowe smiled. “School still hasn’t started. I’m working on lesson plans, but I don’t have specific hours I have to work, so call me and we can set something up.”
Still too ambiguous .
“Expect a call tomorrow.”
Mercifully, her smile got bigger. “I will.”